Petcock drain tool, non-flexible shaft



Nov. 28, 1961 H. W. KULP PETCOCK DRAIN TOOL, NON-FLEXIBLE SHAFT Filed Jan. 11, 1960 INVENTOR.

Hal-1] if: K111 A TTORNEYS.

United States Patent 3 010,346 rnrcocx DRAIN TooL, NON-FLEXIBLE SHAFT Harry W. Kulp, Lancaster, Pa., assignmto K.D. Manu= factoring Company, Lancaster, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Jan. 11, 1960, Ser. No. 1,569 3 (C 8 This invention relates to mechanics hand tools. More particularly, this invention relates to hand tools for opening and closing the petcocks of cooling systems and the like.

The opening and closing of petcocks of cooling systems in motor'vehicles and similar systems involving circulation of hot fluids, such as water or steam, is a difficult and sometimes hazardous operation owing to the fact that after the petcock has been initially started, hot wateror steam gushes out of the petcock and is likely to burn the hands of the operator while attempting to loosen the petcock further to full open. Ordinarily, petcock drain tools have shafts of suflicient length to permit the operator to loosen the petcock to full open while his hands are removed from the vicinity of the hot gushing water, steam, or the like, and sometimes are sufliciently flexible to reach the diflicultly accessible positions of the petcock it is desired to open, but they do not have suflicient strength to communicate the torque necessary to start the petcock initially from its closed position. Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a. hand tool for starting and opening cooling systern petcocks which is adapted for the convenient application of sufficient torque to start the petcock from its initial position; which permits the user to loosen the petcock to full open while keeping the hands removed from the vicinity thereof and which has a shaft of sufficient adaptability to reach difficultly accessible positions of the petcock, yet which is capable of supplying the torque necessary for the opening of said petcock after starting.

It is another object of this invention to provide a petcock drain tool having a shaft handle whereby a cooling system petcock may be loosened to full open without the necessity of rotating said handle through 360.

Other objects and attendant advantages will become apparent from the following description of a specific embodiment of the invention and in the drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of the petcock drain tool as constructed in accordance with this invention illustrating one manner of use of said tool.

FIG. 2 is a view in perspective of the complete drain tool as constructed in accordance with this invention.

FIG. 3 is a view in perspective of the socket and shaft of the petcock drain tool as constructed in accordance with this invention, together with a view of a typical petcock with which said tool is designed for use.

The following description is directed to the specific form of the apparatus and method as shown in the drawings and is not intended to be addressed to the scope of the invention as exemplified thereby. It will be appreciated that the drawings represent preferred embodiments of the invention which is capable of being practiced in a wide variety of forms and arrangements.

Adverting herewith to the specific form of the invention illustrated in the drawings, a cup-shaped socket 10 of the hand tool comprises a cylindrical portion 10a, a peripheral flange portion 10b and a base portion 100 firmly clinched within the cylindrical portion 10a. Formed integrally with the base portion 10c is a. diametrically reduced shaft portion 11 extending rearwardly of the socket 10. At the distal end of the shaft portion 11 there is formed a slot 12 for the reception of a 2 flat portion 13 of a shaft 15. As may best be seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, the shaft 15 is joined to the shaft portion 11 by means of a rivet 15 which extends through the slotted portion 12 of the shaft portion 11 and through the flat portion 13 of the shaft 15. It will be clear that the rivet 16 forms a pivot for the shaft 11 which may be placed at any convenient angle to the shaftportion 11 in the plane of the slot 12 and the flattened portion 13 of the shaft 15 A knurled portion 18 at the end of the shaft provides a handle or grip for the tool. In addition, an opening 19 is provided in the distal end of the shaft 15 and extending therethrough whereby the hand tool may be hung upon a hook or the like.

As may best be seen in FIG. 2, the flange portion 10b is divided into flange sections 20a and 21b. Formed between the flange sections 20a and 20b are openings 21a and 21b and rectangular slots 22a and 22b. Positioned centrally within the cup-shaped socket 10 and extending upwardly from the base is a centering pin 23 for centering the socket 10 upon a petcock in a manner to be more fully described hereinafter.

FIG. 3 illustrates a typical petcock drain 30 comprising a petcock handle 31 having wings 31a and 31b and a cylindrical drain tube section 32 having an opening 33 providing means for draining the fluid of the cooling system when the petcock is opened.

Ordinarily in the practice of this invention, when it is desired to open the petcock 30 for drainage of the cooling system with which it is associated, the socket 10 is held so that it may be fitted over the petcock handle 31 by passage of the winged elements 31a and 31b thereof through the openings 21a and 21b respectively in the flange of the head portion 10b of the socket 10. The socket 10 is fitted onthe petcock handle 31 of the petcock 30 by the passage of the wings 31a and 31b of the petcock handle 31 through the openings 21a and 21b of the flange of the socket head 10b so that the wings 31a and 315 rest respectively in the slots 22a and 22b. It will be evident that in order to fit the socket 10 on the petcock handle 31 in the manner aforedescribed, it is necessary to align the centering pin 23 with the opening 33 so that the aforesaid pin enters the tube 32 to a depth roughly equal to the width of the flange 10b.

When the socket 10 has been fitted upon the petcock handle 31 in the manner aforedescribed, the shaft 15 is preferably pivoted around the pivot pin 16 so that the shaft 15 is approximately perpendicular to the shaft portion 11, generally in the manner illustrated in FIG. 1. It will be evident that when the shaft '15 is pivoted perpendicularly to the shaft portion 11, a relatively powerful torque may be manually applied to the socket 10 in order to start the petcock handle 31. Accordingly, sufficient torque is applied to the handle 19 of the shaft 15 to cause the socket 10, together with the petcock handle 31 to rotate in. a counterclockwise direction until the petcock 30 has been loosened sufliciently that the handle 31 thereof may be turned with relative ease. Thereafter, the shaft 15 may alternatively be straightened so that the shafts 15 and 11 are axially aligned and then the handle 19 rapidly rotatedin the hand to open the petcock fully, or, when desired, the operator may, in order to keep his hand removed from the vicinity of any hot cooling fluid which may be gushing from the opening 33 of the tube 32, open the petcock fully by keeping the shaft 15 aligned perpendicularly to the shaft portion 11 and rotate the tool in a counterclockwise direction through at a time, above the level of the opening 33. After each rotation of 180 in a counterclockwise direction, the shaft 15 is pivoted from its position at the left side of the petcock to the right side thereof after which the tool is again rotated through 180 in a counterclockwise direction. By using the tool in suitable angle to the axis of rotation of the socket for application of the tool in a Wide variety of circumstances. It will be evident that the versatility of the petcock drain tool as provided in accordance with this invention is such that it may be used to open easily petcocks which are otherwise diflicultly accessible.

Although this invention has been disclosed with refer- ,ence to specific forms and embodiments thereof, it will be evident that a number of variations may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, parts may be reversed, equivalent elements may be substituted for those specifically dis closed and certain features of the invention may be used independently of other features, all Without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention; I claim:

1. A petcock drain tool comprising a cup-shaped metal socket adapted to engage a petcock, said socket having a-flange extending around the perimeter of the open end thereof, said flange having slots formed therein for the reception and retention of the handle of said petcock, said socket having a centering pin extending from the center of the base thereof to the open end thereof, said pin being. adapted for insertion into the drain of said petcock, and a hinged metal shaft secured to said socket adjacent the closed end thereof, the hinged portion of said shaft being swingable through at least 180 of an arc intersecting theaxis of rotation of said socket.

2. A petcock drain tool comprising a cup-shaped metal socket adapted to engage a petcock, said socket having a flange extending around the perimeter of the open end thereof, said flange having slots formed therein for the reception and retention of the handle of said petcock, said socket having a centering pin extending from the center of the base thereof to the open end thereof, said pin being adapted for insertion into the drain of said petcock, said socket having a rearwardly extending axial shaft portion formed integrally with the closed end thereof, and a metal shaft handle pivotally connected to said shaft portion and arranged to pivot through at least of an arc intersecting the axis of rotation of'said socket and said shaft portion.

3. A hand tool for draining a petcock comprising a cup-shaped metal socket adapted to engage a petcock,

said socket having a base portion and a head portion, said head portion having a widened flange formed at the outer periphery thereof, said flange having slots formed therein for the reception and retention of the handle of said petcock, said base portion. having an axial centering pin aflixed thereto, said centering pin extending from said base portion to said head portion and being adapted to enter the vent of said petcock, said base portion having an axial shaft portion formed integrally therewith and extending rearwardly thereof, and a metal shaft handle pivotaily connectedto said axial shaft portion and arranged to pivot about the end thereof through an angle of at least 180.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS- 662,966 Robertson Dec. 4, 1900 1,643,814 Peterson Sept. 27, 1927 2,012,147 Stover Aug. 20, 1935 2,522,038 Houghton Sept 12, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 622,651 France Mar. 7, 1927 696,227 Great Britain Aug. 26, 1953 

